Roller press

ABSTRACT

A portable roller press can be configured with a suction base to stabilize the press during operation. The suction base can allow for the roller press to remain stationary when feeding cutting or embossing dies or templates through the rollers. Substantially the entire bottom surface of the roller press can correspond to the suction base. The suction base can be configured to be generally rectangular or generally oval or circular. The spacing between the roller can be maintained to a desired tolerance that is based on a working height of corresponding cutting or embossing dies or templates. A crankshaft distinct from a roller shaft can be used to transfer rotational forces to the rollers.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/570,165, filed May 11, 2004, entitled ROLLER PRESS; which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

A roller press and, more particularly, a roller press with means tostabilize the roller press to a substantially flat surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Dies and sheet cutting presses are used to cut various patterns out ofsheet materials. The presses are designed to apply uniform pressure to adie through a series of rollers to cut through a sheet or a plurality ofsheets simultaneously. The resulting shapes are a result of the die thatis inserted into the rollers in the roller press which applies pressureto the die and the material to be cut from.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A portable roller press can be configured with a suction base tostabilize the press during operation. The suction base can allow for theroller press to remain stationary when feeding cutting or embossing diesor templates through the rollers. Substantially the entire bottomsurface of the roller press can correspond to the suction base. Thesuction base can be configured to be generally rectangular or generallyoval or circular. The spacing between the roller can be maintained to adesired tolerance that is based on a working height of correspondingcutting or embossing dies or templates. A crankshaft distinct from anaxis of any the rollers can be used to transfer rotational forces to therollers. A pinion gear on an end of the crankshaft can be used to drivea drive gear positioned on one end of a roller shaft. The ratio of teethon the drive gear relative to the pinion gear can be designed to reducethe rotational force needed to feed the cutting or embossing dies ortemplates through the rollers.

An embodiment of the disclosure includes a roller press including aframe, a crankshaft supported by the frame and configured to receive afirst rotational force, a first roller supported by the frame and havinga first roller shaft coupled to the crankshaft and configured to rotatebased on a rotation of the crankshaft, a second roller supported by theframe and having a second roller shaft coupled to the first roller shaftand configured to rotate synchronized to the rotation of the firstroller, and a suction base coupled to the frame and configured tostabilize the roller press by applying a partial vacuum on at least aportion of the suction base.

An embodiment of the disclosure includes a roller press including aframe, a crankshaft supported by the frame and configured to receive afirst rotational force, a pinion gear positioned near a first end of thecrankshaft, a first roller supported by the frame and having a firstroller shaft, a drive gear positioned on the first roller shaft andcoupled pinion gear to rotate the first roller shaft based on a rotationof the crankshaft, a first roller gear positioned on the first rollershaft, a second roller supported by the frame and having a second rollershaft, a second roller gear positioned on the second roller shaft andcoupled to the first roller gear and configured to rotate synchronizedto the rotation of the first roller, and a suction base coupled to theframe and configured to stabilize the roller press by applying a partialvacuum on at least a portion of the suction base.

An embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of rolling material ina roller press, including stabilizing a roller press to a surface usinga partial vacuum, rotating a crankshaft of the roller press, andsupplying a working material to a working area of the roller press.

An embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of manufacturing aroller press, including locating the crankshaft in the frame, locatingthe first roller in the frame so as to couple the first roller shaft tothe crankshaft, locating the second roller in the so as to couple thesecond roller shaft to the first roller shaft, and coupling the frame tothe suction base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, objects, and advantages of embodiments of the disclosurewill become more apparent from the detailed description set forth belowwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like elements bearlike reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 4 illustrates aside view of an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an inner gear mechanism of a rollerpress.

FIG. 6A illustrates a schematic representation of roller direction andforce applied by an embodiment of a roller press.

FIG. 7 illustrates views of an embodiment of a frame and rollers of aroller press.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a suctionbase.

FIG. 9 illustrates a phantom view of the embodiment of the suction base.

FIG. 10 illustrates a phantom side view of the embodiment of the suctionbase.

FIG. 11 illustrates a phantom front view of the embodiment of thesuction base.

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross sectional view of the embodiment of thesuction base.

FIG. 13 illustrates a phantom top view of the suction base.

FIG. 14 illustrates views of an embodiment of a lever used with thesuction base.

FIG. 15 illustrates views of an embodiment of a shaft arm used with thesuction base.

FIG. 16 illustrates views of an embodiment of a base for use with thesuction base.

FIG. 17 illustrates sectional view of the embodiment of the suctionbase.

FIG. 18 illustrates an embodiment of a roller.

FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment of a roller.

FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of a crank handle.

FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a crankshaft.

FIG. 22 illustrates an embodiment of a bottom frame portion.

FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment of a top frame portion.

FIG. 24 illustrates an embodiment of a thrust spacer.

FIG. 25 illustrates an embodiment of a thrust spacer.

FIGS. 26A-B illustrate isometric and side views of a roller frame androller portion of an embodiment of a roller press.

FIGS. 27A-C illustrate views of an embodiment of a cutting assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

FIG. 1 illustrates a roller press 10 according to the presentdisclosure, wherein the roller press 10 may be secured to a flat workingsurface by use of a suction base 12, as further described below. Theroller press 10 as described herein may be utilized with any cutting orembossing dies or templates, and also may be utilized with what is knownas thin dies or chemically etched dies which may have a width ofapproximately two and a half inches.

As also shown in FIG. 1, the press 10 includes a crank handle 14 whichcan be used to apply force to the rollers, as further described below.The press 10 further includes a cover 16 which covers the gears andother internal workings of the press. The press 10 also includes a feedsurface 18 which is located on each side of a working area 20. Theworking area 20 is defined by the space between the rollers, as will befurther described below. The feed surface 18 provides a resting surfacefor a die or embossing template, or the like that is fed into theworking area 20. Positioning a feed surface 18 on each side of theworking area 20 allows material to be supported on both the input sideand output sides of the press 10. Additionally, positioning a feedsurface 18 on each side of the working area 20 allows material, such asa die or embossing template, to be fed into the press 10 from eitherside.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the press 10 as disclosed herein, andfurther illustrates a suction lever 22 which is operated by the user toactivate and deactivate the suction base 12. The suction lever 22 can berotated to substantially deform a portion of the suction base 12,thereby creating a low pressure area under the suction base 12 when thesuction base is positioned on a relatively flat surface. The workingarea 20 is further illustrated in FIG. 2, to be the area where the diewith shuttle or embossing template or the like is inserted into whilethe crank handle 14 is rotated by the user.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the press of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a righthand side view of the press 10 of the presentdisclosure. Likewise, FIG. 5 illustrates a left side view of the press10 of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates the inner gear mechanism of the press 10, wherein thegears and rollers are supported by a frame illustrated by 24. The framesupports a top roller 25 and a bottom roller 27. The crank handle 14includes a crank shaft 29 with a bushing at the frame on the crankhandle end and a crank pinion gear 26 at the opposite end of the frame.The crank pinion gear 26 meshes with and rotates a top roller gear 28.The top roller gear 28 is coupled to and rotates with the top roller 25.Likewise, at the crank handle end of the frame, roller gear 32 rotateswhen the top roller 25 rotates. Likewise, a bottom roller gear 30 ismeshed with and rotates in an opposite direction than the top rollergear 32. When bottom roller gear 30 rotates, since it is coupled to thebottom roller 27, the bottom roller 27 rotates in a direction oppositethan the upper roller 25.

As shown in FIG. 6A, as shown in a schematic representation, the loweror bottom roller 27 rotates in a first direction with the top roller 25rotating in an opposite direction, therefore producing a force in adirection A, as shown in FIG. 6A as being right to left. Therefore, thedie, for example, would be fed through the rollers in a right to leftorientation as shown in FIG. 6A. It will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that the rollers may rotate in both directions so that diesmay be fed through the roller press from and to both sides.

FIG. 7 illustrates additional front, side and top views of the frame,the rollers, and the gears as illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a separate embodiment of thesuction base 12, shown as item 34. Although the suction base 12 is shownas substantially the entire lower surface, such is not a requirement,and a suction base may include a plurality of smaller suction surfaces,each operated by one or a plurality of levers. FIG. 9 illustrates aphantom top view of the suction base 34. FIG. 10 illustrates a side viewof the suction base 34, and FIG. 11 provides a front view of the suctionbase 34. The suction base 34, just as the suction base 12 operate insubstantially the same manner, however the suction base 12 shown in FIG.1 has a rectangular configuration, while the suction base 34 as shown inFIG. 8 has a circular configuration. In any event, the suction bases ofthe present disclosure operate by a lever 22 being operated or rotatedto create a suction of the bottom surface of the suction base relativeto a flat surface that the press 10, with the suction base is restingon.

As shown in FIG. 12, a cross-sectional view of the suction base 34includes the handle 22, a resilient or rubber base material 34, and ahousing 36. Internal of the housing 36 is a cam 38 that is connected tothe rubber base 34 via a U-shaped bracket 40 that is secured to theinternal surface of the rubber base 34. The cam 38 rotates when thehandle 22 is rotated at one end and rotates through a coupling 42opposite of the handle end. Therefore, when the lever is rotated, andthe cam 38 is rotated, pressure is applied to the rubber base 34 via theU-shaped bracket 40, creating a partial vacuum or low pressure areabetween the rubber base 34 and the flat surface adjacent to the rubberbase 34 that the press 10 is resting upon. When it is desired to removethe press from the flat surface that the press is resting upon, the userrotates the handle 22 so as to eliminate the partial vacuum createdbetween the deformable rubber base 34 and the flat surface that thepress is resting upon.

FIG. 14 illustrates manufacturing drawings for the lever, handle, orknob utilized with the suction base.

FIG. 15 illustrates manufacturing drawings for the cam, or shaft arm 38according to the present disclosure. The shaft arm 38 couples thesuction lever 22 to the resilient material of the suction base such thatthe rotation of the suction lever is coupled through the shaft arm 38 toat least a portion of the resilient material to deform the materialthereby creating a low pressure area when the suction base is placed ona substantially flat surface.

FIG. 16 illustrates manufacturing drawings for the suction base 36according to the present disclosure. FIG. 17 illustrates the rubbersurface 34, otherwise known as a suction cup housing as disclosedherein.

FIG. 18 illustrates detailed drawings for the top roller 25.

FIG. 19 illustrates the bottom roller 27.

FIG. 20 illustrates the handle utilized with the crank handle 14.

FIG. 21 illustrates the crank shaft 29 according to the presentdisclosure. FIGS. 22, 23, 24, and 25 illustrate the components thatcomprise the frame 24 shown in FIG. 6. Providing further detail, FIG. 22illustrates the bottom portion of the frame, FIG. 23 illustrates the topportion of the frame, in which the bottom frame and the top frameinterlock with each other so that the holes are aligned for the crankshaft and for the rollers. At one end of the frame, as shown in FIG. 6,is a thrust spacer with closed holes, as shown in FIG. 25 illustrated asitem 44 in FIG. 25 and item 44 in FIG. 6. At the opposite sideinternally of the frame and partially shown in FIG. 6 is the thrustspacer with open holes illustrated as 46 both in FIG. 24 and in FIG. 6.The thrust spacer with the open holes allows the spacer to be removedfrom the assembled roller assembly to disassemble same.

FIG. 26A shows an isometric view of an embodiment of the upper roller 25and the lower roller 27 positioned within a frame 24. The frame can beformed of a substantially rigid material, such as zinc, aluminum, ormagnesium. Of course, the frame 24 may be manufactured of some othersubstantially rigid material that maintains the relationship of the toproller 25 to the bottom roller 27 and does not substantially deformunder operation. Thus, the frame material may also include plastic,steel, and the like. The frame can be, for example, die cast, machined,or otherwise formed.

FIG. 26B shows a front view of the roller assembly and shows the workingheight maintained between the upper roller 25 and the lower roller 27.The distance between the roller 25 and 27 can be determined, in part,based on the working height of the material that is to be passed throughthe rollers 25 and 27. The distance between the rollers 25 and 27 can beconfigured to allow a chemical etched cutting die to penetrate thematerial into a corresponding cutting pad by an amount that is greaterthan 0.015 inch and advantageously approximately 0.050 inch. A smalleramount of penetration may not allow complete cutting of the material,while a larger penetration may require an undue amount of force to passthe material through the rollers.

For example, the distance between the rollers 25 and 27 can bemaintained to within a tolerance of less than approximately 0.010 inchwhen using a cutting die that uses a chemical etched die. The totaldistance between the outside diameters of the top roller 25 and bottomroller 27 can be maintained to approximately 0.317±0.005 inch when anassociated cutting assembly has a working height of approximately 0.325inch, not including the material being worked. This can correspond to adistance of approximately 0.907 inches between the rotating axis of thetop roller 25 and the rotating axis of the bottom roller 27.

FIG. 26B shows a front view of the roller assembly and illustrates therelationship between the pinion gear 26 and drive gear 28 positionedsubstantially on one end of the rollers 25 and 27 or the roller shaftson which the rollers can be mounted. The top roller gear 32 and bottomroller gear 30 can be positioned on substantially the opposite side ofthe rollers 25 and 27. The pinion gear 26 can have gear teeth thatengage with complementary gear teeth on the drive gear 28. Therelationship between the ratio of the teeth on the drive gear 28relative to the number of teeth on the pinion gear 26 can be adjustedbased in part on the desired torque multiplication. For example, for ahand driven roller press, the ratio of the teeth on the drive gear 28 tothe pinion gear 26 can be approximately 5:1 and is typically greaterthan about 4:1. The ratio can be reduced if the length of the crankhandle is increased, and may be further increased if the length of thedrive handle is decreased. However, the dimensions of the framegenerally limit the range of gear ratios.

FIG. 27A-C illustrates an embodiment of a shuttle that can be used withthe roller press. The shuttle can include an upper sheet 112 and a lowersheet 114. The sheets 112 and 114 may be made of a polycarbonate, nylon,or other polymer material that may include a conformable cutting padwhich allows the transfer of force from the rollers through to the die110 and the sheet material to be cut from, shown in the side view ofFIG. 27B as a piece of paper 120. The shuttle, which comprises the die110 and the two polymer sheets 112 and 114 are fed into the working areabetween the rollers by feeding the shuttle into the rollers via the feedsurface areas. The crank handle can be rotated and the rollers work incooperation with each other to feed the shuttle from one side of thepress to the other side of the press, while applying pressure to theshuttle.

Although the disclosure has been described by way of example and withreference to particular embodiments thereof it is to be appreciated thatimprovements or modifications may be made thereto without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the disclosure as set out in the claims.

1. A roller press comprising: a frame; a crankshaft supported by theframe and configured to receive a first rotational force; a first rollersupported by the frame and having a first roller shaft coupled to thecrankshaft and configured to rotate based on a rotation of thecrankshaft; a second roller supported by the frame and having a secondroller shaft coupled to the first roller shaft and configured to rotatesynchronized to the rotation of the first roller; and a suction basecoupled to the frame and configured to stabilize the roller press byapplying a partial vacuum on at least a portion of the suction base. 2.The roller press of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises: an upper frameportion having a plurality of holes positioned to align the locations ofthe crankshaft, first roller and second roller; and a lower frameportion configured to interlock with the top frame portion, and having aplurality of holes configured to align with the plurality of holes inthe upper frame portion when the upper frame portion is interlocked withthe lower frame portion.
 3. The roller press of claim 1, wherein theframe is configured to position the first roller substantially apredetermined distance from the second roller, the predetermineddistance based on a working height of an associated template.
 4. Theroller press of claim 1, wherein the frame is configured to locate theaxis of the first and second rollers within a tolerance varying lessthan approximately 0.010 inch.
 5. The roller press of claim 1, furthercomprising: a pinion gear with gear teeth positioned on the crankshaft;and a drive gear with gear teeth positioned on the first roller shaftand coupled to the pinion gear, the drive gear having at least fourtimes the number of gear teeth of the pinion gear.
 6. The roller pressof claim 1, further comprising: a drive gear positioned on the firstroller shaft and configured to rotate based on the rotation of thecrankshaft; a first roller gear positioned on the first roller shaft;and a second roller gear positioned on the second roller shaft coupledto the first roller gear, and configured to rotate in a substantiallyopposite direction of the first roller gear.
 7. The roller press ofclaim 1, further comprising a feed surface configured to align a workpiece with a space between the first and second rollers.
 8. The rollerpress of claim 1, further comprising a cover configured to substantiallycover the crankshaft and first and second rollers, the cover having atleast one opening substantially aligned with a working area between thefirst and second rollers.
 9. The roller press of claim 1, wherein thesuction base comprises: at least one resilient material covering atleast a portion of a bottom of the suction base; and a lever coupled tothe resilient material and configured to displace a portion of theresilient material so as to produce a partial vacuum beneath the suctionbase.
 10. The roller press of claim 9, wherein the resilient materialsubstantially covers all of a substantially rectangular bottom of thesuction base.
 11. The roller press of claim 9, wherein the resilientmaterial substantially covers all of a substantially oval bottom of thesuction base.
 12. A roller press comprising: a frame; a crankshaftsupported by the frame and configured to receive a first rotationalforce; a pinion gear positioned near a first end of the crankshaft; afirst roller supported by the frame and having a first roller shaft; adrive gear positioned on the first roller shaft and coupled pinion gearto rotate the first roller shaft based on a rotation of the crankshaft;a first roller gear positioned on the first roller shaft; a secondroller supported by the frame and having a second roller shaft; a secondroller gear positioned on the second roller shaft and coupled to thefirst roller gear and configured to rotate synchronized to the rotationof the first roller; and a suction base coupled to the frame andconfigured to stabilize the roller press by applying a partial vacuum onat least a portion of the suction base.
 13. The roller press of claim12, wherein the first roller gear is positioned on the first rollershaft substantially opposite the drive gear.
 14. The roller press ofclaim 12, wherein the drive gear is configured to rotate completely atleast four times for each complete rotation of the drive gear.
 15. Theroller press of claim 12, wherein the suction base comprises asubstantially rectangular suction base.
 16. The roller press of claim12, wherein the suction base comprises a substantially oval suctionbase.
 17. The roller press of claim 12, wherein the suction basecomprises: a resilient material; and a lever coupled to the resilientmaterial and configured to displace a portion of the resilient materialso as to produce a partial vacuum beneath a portion of the suction base.18. The roller press of claim 17 wherein the suction base furthercomprises a shaft arm coupled to the lever and the resilient material,the shaft arm configured to deflect the portion of the resilientmaterial when the shaft arm is rotated.
 19. A method of rolling materialin a roller press, the method comprising: stabilizing a roller press toa surface using a partial vacuum; rotating a crankshaft of the rollerpress; and supplying a working material to a working area of the rollerpress.
 20. A method of manufacturing the roller press of claim 1, themethod comprising: locating the crankshaft in the frame; locating thefirst roller in the frame so as to couple the first roller shaft to thecrankshaft; locating the second roller in the so as to couple the secondroller shaft to the first roller shaft; and coupling the frame to thesuction base.